possible reasons people aren’t auditioning

• There is no payment being offered (most common), or the pay rate is extremely low for the workload involved.
• The casting call post lacks critical information about the project, story and/or characters.
• The character(s) being cast have very specific requirements that would automatically take a lot of potential auditioners out of the running.
• The casting call is formatted in a way that is difficult to read and/or lacks professionalism.
• The project is an overly ambitious undertaking and may or may not get finished.
• The producer has no prior track record of projects they’ve created/worked on.
• Voice actors are being cast prematurely (for example, there is a vague concept but the script isn’t done yet and they are also seeking animators and artists)
• The requirements for voice talent are off-putting or unrealistic (for example, expecting actors to attend regular cast meetings, or demanding a broadcast-quality home studio for an unpaid fan project)
• The script or concept contains material that people aren’t comfortable with.
• The topic is related to a very niche interest or fandom that not a lot of people are into.
• The producer is being too impatient with the deadline and not allowing people enough time to see the casting call.
• The casting call isn’t posted in places where people who might be interested are likely to see it.

tips to get a better response

While there’s no magic formula to suddenly get people auditioning, and some factors are indeed beyond your control, here are a few things you can think about if you want to see a higher volume of auditions for your project.

Consider offering some, any type of payment…no matter how small.

We know this is a tough one. If your project is purely a hobby endeavor and you’re making zero money off of it, chances are you can’t afford to pay voice actors out of pocket. But if you’re really desperate to get that role cast, an all but surefire way to get auditions rolling in is to turn it into a paid project. Many voice actors aren’t interested in unpaid projects and only check the paid casting call sections, but even something as small as $5 will result in sudden eyes on your project and allow you to post it in places that get more visibility.

If you’re concerned that people will think you’re lowballing or taking advantage, simply being honest about your situation goes a long way. Actors will be far more understanding about someone paying what they can literally afford out of pocket for a not-for-profit project than for a company trying to exploit talent for low rates. And while you probably won’t get industry pros submitting at those prices, you’ll still open it up to up-and-coming voice talent who are passionate about helping your creative vision come to life.

Make sure your project is actually ready for voice actors.

A big red flag for “this project is never going to get finished” is when someone has an idea for a project, but no realistic plan for how they are actually going to make that project. For example, in addition to casting voice actors, they’re also looking for people to write, animate, and produce their project for them, all for free! (Obviously, that’s not going to happen.)

Another red flag is when someone has never produced a project before, but decides they want to do something overly ambitious like dubbing an entire manga series or making an audio drama out of hundreds of pages of text. Too often, projects like this will cast a huge team of voice actors and make them do enormous amounts of recording for free, only to lose interest partway through or realize that it’s much more work than originally anticipated. If you’ve never produced something on that large of a scale before, start small and get a good handle on what you’re doing first.

Choose a descriptive title for your post.

If you’re posting your casting call virtually anywhere outside of social media, the title / subject line of your post is the first impression of your project and what will entice people to click through and open your casting call.

Bad examples: “casting voice actors for my project”, “NEED VOICE ACTORS NOW”
Good examples: “Medieval fantasy radioplay / 4F 6M”, “Scottish accents wanted for indie action game”

If your casting call is on social media, make sure your introductory paragraph/project description is interesting, descriptive and to the point! “Voice actors, send me your reels” will probably get you a dump of demos in the comments, but it doesn’t give any information on what you’re actually looking for and may waste time on both sides.

Make sure your casting call is formatted in a clear and enticing manner.

If your entire post is just a wall of text or rambling lore dump with no images or paragraph breaks, people may click away and decide not to bother. Attention spans these days tend to be shorter and shorter, so you want to make it easy for people to quickly see what your project is about and decide whether or not they’d like to audition.

Clearly separating and labeling sections of your casting call – especially for longer ones – can help for organization. For instance, submission instructions should be prominently labeled rather than buried somewhere in a big block of text.

Images are a great attention-getter, so if you have any character concept art or a logo from the series, be sure to include it. (Note: You can use stock photos if you must to give a general idea of what you have in mind for the characters, but do NOT use AI-generated “artwork” even just as concept art. This is a major turn-off and most actors won’t audition for projects that use AI images due to ethical concerns.)

Describe what characters you are casting, and include specific audition lines.

Another clear sign that a project isn’t ready for voice actors is when there is no script in place. The worst offender of this is when a producer asks actors to simply make up their own audition lines or “say something you think would fit”—while improv can certainly have a place in VO, it must be based on something. You should always provide sample lines from the script for actors to audition with, and if you’re really set on it, include a note that you’re open to actors changing or improvising the given lines.

Additionally, it’s best to be specific on what characters you are looking to cast. Too often, a casting call will say “drop your demos below” with little to no information on what they are actually looking for. Having character descriptions and audition lines will ensure that the samples you get back are tailored specifically to the characters you’re looking to cast.

If you’d really prefer to cast off demos rather than custom auditions, that’s okay, but at least include the types of characters you’re casting, and keep in mind that many actors are able to do things that aren’t necessarily on their demos.

Use proper English to the best of your ability.

When the first sentence in a casting call says “hay im lookin 4 vas pls send dm if ur interested”, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. You don’t need to be overly formal, but you should present yourself and your project with some semblance of professionalism if you want it to garner interest—after all, if you don’t take your project seriously, why should they?

Like it or not, a post written in “text speak” with errors all over the place gives off the first impression of a very young person and/or a producer who does not know what they are doing. Double check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation (use spell checker and/or ask someone else to proofread if you’re really worried.)

Now, if English is not your primary language, that is a different story and people will generally be understanding. There is a difference between a post with minor grammatical/syntax errors written by a non-native speaker, and a post saying “HELLO i am writeing a fan fic of my original Character pls send me yuor Auditions to my email thx very much, Send asap!” Learning proper business communication is an extremely valuable skill in virtually any field.

Include a brief background and/or link to your other works, if applicable.

Many volunteer projects end up into the “producer’s black hole” where they never end up being finished, and as a result voice actors can get discouraged from putting in a bunch of time recording lines for projects that never come to fruition. But if you have a track record of finished projects, this lends credibility to your work and also lets auditioners know what kind of quality/style they can expect.

If you have it available, consider linking to a YouTube channel, Kickstarter/Patreon, social media, or anything else which shows your work (as a plus, fan engagement with your previous works/channel is a huge bonus for voice actors—this is one of the times when it might be okay to brag about how many subs you have!)

Now, if this is your first project or you don’t have a big following, don’t despair—if the concept for your project is interesting, it will speak for itself.

Don’t forget to check comments and responses.

Some people just post a casting call once and never come back to check responses, which can be a problem when someone has a time-sensitive question about the audition. In extreme cases, it could even result in your casting call being deleted if a moderator asks you to fix something in your post and you never come back to address it!

Make a habit of checking daily on the platforms you’ve posted on, or turn on notifications so that you’ll be alerted whenever you are tagged or a new response is posted. Answering/acknowledging user responses (when relevant) demonstrates that you are engaged with your project.

If you are posting your project in a whole bunch of places and would prefer things to be more organized, then be sure to include your preferred method of contact (such as email address or Discord ID) in your post so that people can get in touch with you if they have questions.

Look at successful casting calls for examples.

While it’s easy to say “no one wants to audition for my project because it’s unpaid”, there are plenty examples of successful unpaid casting calls. Look at other, similar projects in the unpaid sections that are getting a lot of engagement. How is the concept for their project presented? How is their post formatted? Is there anything you can take inspiration from?

Don’t force people to make their auditions public.

If someone has to post an Instagram or TikTok video with their audition, respond in a public Twitter/Reddit thread or only submit on a platform where everyone can see and listen to others who auditioned, this will automatically result in fewer submissions. There are many reasons why someone may not feel comfortable posting their audition publicly or even the fact that they are auditioning (such as if they plan to audition under a pseudonym, but don’t have a separate social media account under that pseudonym.) You may still do public submissions if that’s your preferred method, but it’s best to include an option for people to submit privately, such as via email, DM, or a Dropbox/Drive link.

Manage your expectations.

It’s good to be upfront with what you’ll need, but sometimes producers (especially for volunteer projects) may have unrealistic expectations of their talent. Examples include:

*Big (unpaid) time commitment required – Whether it’s weekly meetings on Discord, all-cast rehearsals, or even insisting on live directed sessions for an unpaid project, there’s only so much time that people are able or willing to put into something that should ideally be a fun creative hobby. Remember that your cast has other obligations outside of your project, such as work, school, and other projects they are recording for. You can make things like rehearsals or game nights available to your cast if they really want to join, but ideally, any work outside of simply recording their lines should be optional.

*Unrealistic standards for a hobby project – While you naturally want your project to sound its best, an unpaid volunteer project cannot realistically be held to the same standards as paid, professional projects in terms of audio quality, deadlines, etc. This doesn’t mean you need to accept files where the audio distorts like crazy or sounds like it was recorded in a tin can, but voice actors who are still at the level where they are auditioning for unpaid hobby projects are unlikely to be able to afford a full home studio. Similarly, you may need to be willing to have a little leniency on deadlines, as people must prioritize their paying commitments.

*Application forms/interviews – Callbacks are a fairly regular and accepted part of the auditioning process, but there have been some casting calls which went a bit overboard in treating their auditioning process like a job interview. Asking people to include certain information in their submission is perfectly acceptable, but making them fill out a lengthy “application” or attend a live interview with the project director is a bit overkill for something that isn’t even a paid gig. Remember that an audition will largely speak for itself, and if you’re really not sure, you can give some notes and ask them to record a callback audition.

It’s okay to set goals and expectations, but don’t shoot yourself in the foot. Remember that your voice actors are human too and especially for projects where no one is getting paid, you might have to make a few compromises here and there.

Post your casting call in multiple places.

We love our community here, but sometimes you’ve just got to cast a wider net! In addition to posting in the appropriate channel on our Discord server, you may want to try sites such as Casting Call Club and especially social media. Twitter/X is a space rife with voice actors of all levels and backgrounds, and BlueSky is gaining more traction, too. (Instagram and TikTok be a bit more challenging as the post must be made in image or video format and it’s not as easy for people to “share” to their own followers, but can be an option depending on your audience.) Using hashtags such as #castingcall and/or algorithm-targeted phrases such as “voice actors wanted” may help land more eyes on your project.

If you’re looking for something very specific (language, accent/dialect, ethnicity, unusual voice type or skill, etc) and that’s why you’re having a hard time finding auditions, ask around to people in your network for recommendations. There are also groups such as Voices of Global Majority, QueerVox, and Disabled Voice Actors Database that specialize in helping producers find voice talent to authentically represent characters from marginalized groups, but do be aware you’ll need to apply to access the database and that requests for unpaid projects may not be accepted.

For fandom-specific casting calls, consider posting in fandom spaces also.

Casting for a fan project (something based off of an existing IP) can sometimes be challenging—many voice actors may avoid such projects as it is considered an industry taboo to include them as part of their professional materials. That being said, people who are already passionate about the show or game the project is based on would often love to be a part of it—the key is making sure they find it in the first place.

In addition to the usual places you post your casting call, consider expanding it to places focused on that particular fandom, such as subreddits, Facebook groups, or targeted Discord servers. Just make sure to read and adhere to the rules of whatever group you’re posting it in.

I did all that and I’m still not getting auditions. What now?

First off, be patient. Sometimes people will have their casting call up for a mere day or two and despair about not getting responses. Many people submit auditions last minute, so you may find yourself receiving an influx of auditions closer to the deadline.

Each community will have its own rules, but on the VAC, you are allowed to “bump” your audition post (once every 72 hours max) with a deadline reminder such as “2 days left to audition!” (Note: We do not allow promotion of casting calls outside of the designated casting call channels; however, you may post in our #feedback-wanted channel if you are looking for genuine feedback on how to improve your casting call)

Make sure to allow yourself enough time for auditions to come in—at least a week is ideal if possible, as it can be harder to fill rush jobs at a moment’s notice. Consider extending your deadline if you are able to. Also remember that people may be auditioning more on weekends and evenings when they are less likely to have work and school obligations.

I’ve done everything suggested, posted on multiple sites, extended my deadline, and I still can’t find anyone!

This can be tough to swallow, but you may have to look at your project from an outsider’s perspective and think about whether the project is actually interesting to people. It’s hard because the project is your “baby” and chances are you poured a lot of work and passion into it, but there are certain things that just don’t get a lot of interest from people, especially projects that would involve a ton of time commitment without a whole lot of payoff. It doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying, because you never know what will take off and what won’t! But if you’re posting in multiple places and still have no luck, perhaps it may be time to rethink your project a bit or even ask a friend to look at your post and give you some feedback. If worse comes to worse, you and your friends could always try voicing the characters yourselves!